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Stephen Amell Declares Deathstroke Arrow's Greatest Villain

Arrow season 5 wrapped up this month with a shocking finale, and now series star Stephen Amell has proclaimed that returning character Deathstroke is the series' greatest villain.

Despite its cliffhanger ending and the death of John Barrowman's Malcolm Merlyn, the finale also saw the return of multiple past villains for Oliver Queen's (Stephen Amell) final showdown on Lian Yu. One of the biggest names to return was the aforementioned Deathstroke (Manu Bennett), a character who has gone from friend to foe and back again over the course of the past five years. He may end up being replaced by his son going forward, of course, but Slade Wilson has been a huge part of the show so far.

Amell revealed his choice for Arrow's top villain during an appearance at London's Heroes and Villain Fan Fest over the weekend. The actor was asked to choose between Slate Wilson and season 5 big bad Prometheus, otherwise known as Adrian Chase, and The Mirror reported his answer:

"Manu on season two did a marvellous job. I don't think of Josh as a villain so much. Mostly because I know him.

I think Josh and Prometheus fit best in terms of a season but from an iconic standpoint it's Deathstroke."

Prometheus/Chase (Josh Segarra) was the primary antagonist for season 5, as a villain with a vendetta against Oliver Queen. In many ways, he is similar to Slade Wilson, as someone who feels wronged by the Green Arrow, and who wants to destroy his life as a result. Of course, these two are not the only big bads that Oliver has faced off against on the show, but Deathstroke is often considered the biggest/best villain of the show, and Chase was the most recent, which is why he was singled out for the question.

Amell's answer was very diplomatic, of course, and also reflects general fan opinion. Bennett's Deathstroke is one of the few villains on the show that is a Green Arrow villain in the comics, and his status as the most iconic villain of the series so far reflects that. Now that it looks like Slade Wilson could be gone, however, it may be time for a new villain to rise and take his place. Whether that is his son or an entirely new character remains to be seen.